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Thread: Custom 1911 Builder help.

  1. #1

    Custom 1911 Builder help.

    My step dad has an old custom 1911 that I'm trying to figure out a value on. He's of no help as he's in assisted living suffering from dementia.

    It's a Caspian Frame, Caspian slide, Bomar RS, Ambi safety (that needs replaced), Shock-Buf (that needs replaced or removed), a FLGR and that's about all I know. Has imprinted on the slide "BY G.L. MOODY".

    Seems well fit, smooth as glass, with a really light recoil spring and great trigger.

    Anybody recognize the builder? Google fu has failed on this one. Feels like a solid shooter solid but needs some love.

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    Last edited by Spartan1980; 05-29-2021 at 08:39 PM.

  2. #2
    That looks like an old-school 1911 from the 70s-80s. Lots of them were assembled by people sticking parts onto a frame/slide. Those guns tend not to run well and accuracy is a sometime thing. Others were pretty darned good, even if they weren't made by a big-name smith like Pachmayr or Swenson. Based on the milling for that Bomar rear sight, I'd say yours is one of the latter.

    Not sure where your father lived, but there's a Moody Custom Arms (https://www.moodycustomarms.com/) in Benton, Louisiana. They claim over 50 years of experience, so they could have been involved. Might be worth emailing them the pics to see if one of their older smiths put that one together.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

  3. #3
    @okie john I think you are correct in that this is an older vintage. He returned to Oklahoma when he retired from the Tucson PD in 1993. I'm relatively sure he couldn't have carried this on duty but my mother nor anybody in his family knows when or where he got it. It's definitely been shot some from the handling marks and the shock buff is trashed from use.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Spartan1980 View Post
    @okie john I think you are correct in that this is an older vintage. He returned to Oklahoma when he retired from the Tucson PD in 1993. I'm relatively sure he couldn't have carried this on duty but my mother nor anybody in his family knows when or where he got it. It's definitely been shot some from the handling marks and the shock buff is trashed from use.
    Clark guns were common in Oklahoma in the 70s and 80s when Clark was in Keithville. It's reasonable that guns from other north Louisiana smiths would have moved into our neck of the woods.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

  5. #5
    I agree that it looks like a 70s/80s vintage. The low mount Bomar looks well done. How is the front sight mounted? That era they were pinned from inside the slide or silver soldered. Dove tails came later. Looks like a nice 1911.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by BN View Post
    I agree that it looks like a 70s/80s vintage. The low mount Bomar looks well done. How is the front sight mounted? That era they were pinned from inside the slide or silver soldered. Dove tails came later. Looks like a nice 1911.
    Definitely not dovetailed. Hopefully I'll get the slide off of fit this weekend and get a better look and more pics.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter KevH's Avatar
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    @Spartan1980 @okie john @BN

    It's a mid-1990's build based on the Caspian slide and frame. You could always call Caspian with the serial number to narrow it down.

    Don't you dare replace that ambi safety! That's a King's 201A which are become a bit of a classic sought-after touch by folks that know these days.

    The photo cuts out most of the grip safety, but it look's like either a King's 207 or one of the same age Wilson ones.

    It also looks to have a King's pinned front sight which is era appropriate.

    Whose barrel is in there? I'm guessing it's a Kart or Nowlin.

    Is it a stainless steel frame or hard chrome? I'm guessing the former.

    Narrowing down value on a gun like this is difficult, but in today's market it's likely right around $600-1000, but you're going to have to find the right buyer that understands the era of gun and appreciates it. It doesn't have a checkered frontstrap, bevelled slide or some of the other little touches of there era. It looks like a good honest build done by a local smith back when "factory customs" weren't yet a thing. There were countless cops around here carrying similarly setup guns in 1990's.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    @Spartan1980 @okie john @BN

    It's a mid-1990's build based on the Caspian slide and frame. You could always call Caspian with the serial number to narrow it down.

    Don't you dare replace that ambi safety! That's a King's 201A which are become a bit of a classic sought-after touch by folks that know these days.

    The photo cuts out most of the grip safety, but it look's like either a King's 207 or one of the same age Wilson ones.

    It also looks to have a King's pinned front sight which is era appropriate.

    Whose barrel is in there? I'm guessing it's a Kart or Nowlin.

    Is it a stainless steel frame or hard chrome? I'm guessing the former.

    Narrowing down value on a gun like this is difficult, but in today's market it's likely right around $600-1000, but you're going to have to find the right buyer that understands the era of gun and appreciates it. It doesn't have a checkered frontstrap, bevelled slide or some of the other little touches of there era. It looks like a good honest build done by a local smith back when "factory customs" weren't yet a thing. There were countless cops around here carrying similarly setup guns in 1990's.
    I fear that replacing the ambi is going to be mandatory pretty soon. The right side is "wiggly" and feels like it's wallowing/wallowed the slot/notch that connects the two pieces inside but currently is still functional. Left side manipulation is perfectly fine.

    He may have had it built for a duty gun but I did find several of his duty holsters and they were all for a S&W N Frame. I know he said he was issued Model 28s at one time and asked me if I could find him one. He loved those old revos.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Spartan1980 View Post
    I fear that replacing the ambi is going to be mandatory pretty soon. The right side is "wiggly" and feels like it's wallowing/wallowed the slot/notch that connects the two pieces inside but currently is still functional. Left side manipulation is perfectly fine.
    I think you can gently squeeze the 2 ears together a little to tighten that up. Does that have the piece that goes under the right grip panel to hold it in?

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by BN View Post
    I think you can gently squeeze the 2 ears together a little to tighten that up. Does that have the piece that goes under the right grip panel to hold it in?
    It uses a special pin that fits into a slot in the right lever. That’s what keeps it from coming off

    Front sight could be a millet. Beavertail could be the Wilson/Clark. Deluxe cut for the bomar is a nice touch

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